Letter of the Month: The Family Pontiac - letters from March 2011

Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines

March, 2011

Letter of the Month: The Family Pontiac
My grandfather and grandmother always drove Pontiacs; I can remember my parents inheriting some of their hand-me-down Pontiacs as they upgraded to a new model. Because I always liked the body style of a 1967 Pontiac, my search for a convertible ended in the summer of 2009 in Alliance, Ohio, with a Le Mans. This journey ended up including the entire family, and one of my best memories is of us getting the car back to northern Indiana as a family.
When I found the car, I contacted the owner and drove the 600 miles round trip in an afternoon with $500 cash in hand for him to hold it for me, if it was as good as he described. I was able to determine that the frame was solid, as were most of the panels, though there was evidence of some filler being used in a few areas. It no longer had its original 326 engine nor its original transmission; it now had a 1974 Pontiac 350 and a three-speed automatic transmission with #670 heads. The Rochester carburetor was shot. Overall, though, I knew it was a keeper with a lot of potential.
So I gave him the $500 to hold it and came back two days later with my wife and two girls. I needed them to follow me back on the toll road to northern Indiana, as the owner told me that in the nine years he had the car, it had never been more than 100 miles in any direction. We spent the night at a hotel and made a mini-vacation out of the trip. The car made it back to Indiana without missing a beat. I even had people at a rest stop asking if they could buy it.
Since owning the car, I have done many mechanical upgrades to it, including a new Edelbrock carburetor, manifold, water pump, hoses, thermostat and fan. We also changed the skins on the rear seat, and I have since replaced the adhesive woodgrain and all bezels on the dash, as well as the radio.
This past summer, I learned how to pull the engine and had the help of a friend, who lent me his equipment and garage space to sand and paint the frame, firewall and engine. I also had to install a new flywheel, starter motor and motor mounts.
I sent the VIN off to the Pontiac Historical Society; it turns out my car was a Tempest Custom when it came off the line. I found it odd that someone along the way decided to clone it into a Le Mans. The red color is also not original, but I'm going to leave it as it is.
We often spend time going to local cruise-ins as a family and we took our family Christmas picture in the car last year. We feel fortunate to have this driver and I get a kick out of owning, driving and maintaining a car that is two years older than I am!Brian Sloan
Via e-mailOlds Faithful
In June 1969, I purchased a new Oldsmobile F-85 Sports Coupe after graduating from what is now Armstrong Atlantic State University. It is original except for paint, upholstery, an Olds sport steering wheel, 15 x 7-inch wheels from a mid-Eighties Hurst/Olds and the 4-4-2 grilles, for which Fuller Oldsmobile let me trade in the stock ones plus about $15 shortly after the purchase. I still have the window sticker which lists, among others, the following options and accessories: 310hp high-compression 350 engine with Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, $47.39; power disc brakes, $64.25; dual exhausts, $30.23; wall-to-wall carpeting, $18.96; chrome side window moldings, $21.06; and Hurst shifter with heavy-duty three-speed manual transmission (from Ford, believe it or not), $84.26. The base price was $2,672 and the total was $3,237.61.
This great Olds has taken me to a lot of places, including New York City, Nashville, Tampa, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Denver, Boise, Winslow and Jackson Hole. It has also taken me across the Tacoma Narrows and Golden Gate bridges and from Seattle to Westport, Washington, and on to Tijuana, Mexico, making good use of US 101, California Highway 1 and Bixby Bridge, traveling right along the Pacific Ocean to San Francisco, Big Sur, Malibu, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, San Diego and Mission San Juan Capistrano (where the swallows return every year). It's also taken me to the top of Colorado's Pikes Peak and to various national parks, including Smoky Mountain, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Redwood, Grand Teton and Grand Canyon.
The odometer recently turned 152,500 original miles and, incredibly, the 350 runs stronger than ever, since David and Tracy Bragg of Bragg Automotive of Port Wentworth, Georgia, tuned it up. And handling is as good as ever, after Al Deutsch and Bob Emerson with Harold Kimball of Southside Auto Repair, Savannah, Georgia, worked on the suspension. The only body damage of note has been relatively minor bumps to the front fenders that were repaired by Bob Jackowski of Springfield, Georgia, who had previously repainted the car. The only time it was ever towed was when the timing chain went out just after arriving in Daytona Beach one Thanksgiving for the Turkey Rod Run, and I made sure that was on a flatbed. A great mechanic there really helped me out and I would like to mention his name here, but can't recall it; however, I hope he sees this and remembers.
My lovely wife, Beth, says Old Blue looks like it's wearing dancing shoes when it has been washed and the wheels are shiny and sparkly; she described my feelings as "separation anxiety" when I came close to selling it a couple of times. I'm certainly not the only person to have owned a car for over 41 years, but there probably aren't a lot of us.
I don't expect to keep it forever, so to see it in HMN would be fantastic and a great memory! Thank you.Les Carter
Savannah, GeorgiaSanta's Stash
First of all, I want to thank you for providing those of us who grew up in the '60s and '70s with a monthly flashback into the optimism of our youth, a time when most of us ambitiously fantasized about someday rippin' the tires off Dad's '66 Chevelle and cruisin' the neighborhood in Mom's '70 Le Mans coupe. Having fulfilled those dreams to some extent, I think that I have now found the perfect winter job for our classic muscle machines.
A few years ago, my wife and I were desperately searching for a place to hide the Christmas presents for the kids. We took one look at the Cameo White 1975 Hurst/Olds occupying every last inch of the garage and realized that we could probably hide all of Santa's toys in that cavernous trunk! And so, a family tradition commenced, and will hopefully continue for many generations to come.
This year, our build sheet-backed, 350-powered 1975 Nova SS will host the stockpile of toys destined for our 7-year-old daughter, Maddi, and 3-year-old son, Trent. Although not quite as spacious as the Oldsmobile's, the Chevy's trunk can still conceal a payload, and the car itself certainly gets out of its own way a lot quicker!Dean L. Naddeo
Ringwood, New JerseyAnother Un-SS
A good friend of mine came into the store where I work part time a few days ago and gave me a copy of HMM#87, December 2010, with Kurt Beier's '70 Malibu 400 convertible on the front page. Interesting car and, I might add, just as interesting an article in the inside ("Un-SS"), but there was a more personal reason for my friend giving me the magazine and the article to read. Not only have I seen a Malibu 400, I own one.
For the last 40 years, I have been the proud owner of a 1971 Chevelle Malibu 400 convertible. The car has the LS3/402-cu.in. big-block with a wide-ratio four-speed and a 3.31-geared 12-bolt Posi rearend. It still has the original paint (Mulsanne Blue), black interior and black convertible top. Actual mileage is 26,800 miles. Horsepower for this engine was down to 300 (reduced compression and hardened valve seats for unleaded gas), but it still has 400-lbs.ft. of torque and is an extremely fun car to drive. And yes, I am the original owner of the vehicle.
Actually, I am no longer the total owner of the car, as a few years ago, I registered my 37-year-old son, Chris, as part owner, solely as a function of my age (I'll be 69 years old in two weeks). Chris owns a '72 Chevelle two-door hardtop Pro-Streeter--a story for another time. Chris loves the '71 as much as I do; there's lots of sentimental value for him--this was the car that brought him home from the hospital when he was born. He and I are the ones who drive it 99 percent of the time. The other one percent is my wife and daughter-in-law. The car has never seen winter and only been rained on a few times (by accident) in all these years.
At the time I ordered the car, it was going to be a family vehicle (with a four-speed and dual exhaust that you couldn't get with a small-block at the time), so that was the reason I ordered this option instead of a full SS. Kind of glad I did now. I waited 17 weeks for the vehicle because GM went on strike back in late 1970, and when I picked it up on January 11, 1971, we put the car right in the garage. We shared my wife's car (a '70 Nova) until the weather got a little bit better, rather than driving it in the winter months.
In April '71, GM said they were going to stop making convertible A-bodies. So from that time forward, the Malibu became a pleasure car, driven only when the sun shines. I attend a whole slew of cruise-ins and the car always captures attention.
As a point of interest, I traded in (on the Chevelle) a red '67 Pontiac GTO convertible (360hp, 3.90 Posi rearend, four-speed with 68K miles on it). Bought the GTO new about four months before I got married in 1967; wish I still had this car, too! There are a few other cars I had (and built) I could tell you about, too.
I am a retiree of a former GM division, and back in 1988, I had a friend of mine at Chevrolet Motor Division do some research on the total number of '71 Malibu 400 convertibles (with the 402 LS3 engine, etc.) produced. I gave him all kinds of data and numbers. It took him about six months of research, but he came back with a figure of 308, which was a combination of both four-speeds and automatics in all body styles (he couldn't define it any closer than that). Recently, I have found out that only 15 of my car (Malibu 400 convertible with a four-speed) were made back in 1971, according to a Malibu 400 website. By the way, I have had many offers for the car but I would never sell it--it's a member of the family. Paul Acri
Webster, New YorkGenerational Appeal
The photo is of my 1965 GTO and my son's 1977 Z28 Camaro. This is the first car show the two "blacks" were ever out at together.
When my son was about 10, he saw the GTO sitting in a friend's garage and asked his dad if it was for sale. The father said no, and said he was going to restore it when he retired. That was in 1985.
Seventeen years later, the car was still sitting in the exact same spot in the same garage and my son got a call from his friend, saying that his dad wanted to know if we were still interested in the car. We were, and we did a frame-off restoration in my garage with the help of our good friend, Jeff Matzke; it took four years to complete.
My son, Parker, is the fifth owner of the Z28. What is unique about his car is that I bought it brand new. He tracked down all the owners that owned it after me and bought it back in 1993, then he and I restored it with Jeff's help.
I have been a car guy my whole life and Parker was right there with me going to car shows when he was a little kid. Now we go together in our own cars, along with his one-year-old son. Grandfather, father and son going to car shows--does it get any better than that?Tom and Parker Hansen
Green Bay, WisconsinToday's Someday for Someone
I have read Jim McGowan's "Someday" column (HMM#87, December 2010) more than once--this literature is always at my disposal. I would like to give a different take on the "someday" car.
I am a teacher for an automotive program and a 30-year ASE re-certified master technician. I have had a '67 Mustang, '72 Nova SS 396 and a couple of other hot rods in my past. When I came back from the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona, my yearnings were reborn.
Due to the economy and the current stage of my life, I know my someday car is not obtainable for at least another 10 years. I have, however, a 1996 Mustang GT convertible with 69,000 miles, in mint condition. There are hot rod goodies and a perfect car, now.
I purchased a Hurst stick kit for the Mustang; it has that perfect Hurst angle and mini white ball. Now, instead of my machined aluminum short-throw shifter, I am tugging at a stick from yesterday with all the advantages of my today car.
It's just one small detail that has me loving my today car. Oh yes, I still want another '72 Nova 396 with power steering, brakes and a four-speed, but I'm okay for now!Ron Kalkstein
Via e-mail

This article originally appeared in the March, 2011 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.